What is muscle balance?
'Muscle imbalances tend to occur in pairs. One muscle becomes short and dominant while the opposing muscle becomes too long and weak. For example, the upper fibres of trapezius muscle and lower fibres of trapezius muscle. The upper fibres of trapezius become too long simply because of the weight of the arms and gravity over time, carrying heavy objects in the hand or on the shoulder, and/or whiplash. And the lower fibres of trapezius become too short and dominate over the upper fibres of trapezius. What happened first? That may be a chicken and egg question!
There is often also an imbalance between pectoralis minor and the lower fibres of serratus anterior. Strengthening these fibres is complicated but so worth it. I got rid of my supraspinatus tendonitis in less than a week, just by strengthening it throughout my daily activities. This confirmed the value in it, so I am pleased to share it in my Neck and Shoulder course' (as well as with my patients).
Why is Muscle Balance Important?
The sole purpose of a joint between two bones is to move. If muscles are not balanced, this can ruin bony alignment and reduce joint motion. For example, the upper fibres of trapezius (UFT) and lower fibres of trapezius (LFT)(pictured below, right) span from the base of the head down to T12. This means that when they are not balanced, they can compress 40 facet joints, reducing motion at potentially all of those joints! And, the upper fibres of trapezius can ache from being longer than it should be.
There are also muscles in the core and in the leg that should be balanced. Book an appointment with Amy today to have your muscle balance assessed and treated.
Do you Exercise Regularly?
Athletes get muscle imbalances more than sedentary people because we put in more repetitions. Stay tuned for more info on muscle imbalances, exercises to avoid in order to maintain as much balance in your muscles as possible, and exercises that are pretty safe. The problem is not that you don't exercise enough, but that you may be doing exercises that are adding to your muscle imbalance and not doing the exercises that correct your muscle imbalance.
'Muscle imbalances tend to occur in pairs. One muscle becomes short and dominant while the opposing muscle becomes too long and weak. For example, the upper fibres of trapezius muscle and lower fibres of trapezius muscle. The upper fibres of trapezius become too long simply because of the weight of the arms and gravity over time, carrying heavy objects in the hand or on the shoulder, and/or whiplash. And the lower fibres of trapezius become too short and dominate over the upper fibres of trapezius. What happened first? That may be a chicken and egg question!
There is often also an imbalance between pectoralis minor and the lower fibres of serratus anterior. Strengthening these fibres is complicated but so worth it. I got rid of my supraspinatus tendonitis in less than a week, just by strengthening it throughout my daily activities. This confirmed the value in it, so I am pleased to share it in my Neck and Shoulder course' (as well as with my patients).
Why is Muscle Balance Important?
The sole purpose of a joint between two bones is to move. If muscles are not balanced, this can ruin bony alignment and reduce joint motion. For example, the upper fibres of trapezius (UFT) and lower fibres of trapezius (LFT)(pictured below, right) span from the base of the head down to T12. This means that when they are not balanced, they can compress 40 facet joints, reducing motion at potentially all of those joints! And, the upper fibres of trapezius can ache from being longer than it should be.
There are also muscles in the core and in the leg that should be balanced. Book an appointment with Amy today to have your muscle balance assessed and treated.
Do you Exercise Regularly?
Athletes get muscle imbalances more than sedentary people because we put in more repetitions. Stay tuned for more info on muscle imbalances, exercises to avoid in order to maintain as much balance in your muscles as possible, and exercises that are pretty safe. The problem is not that you don't exercise enough, but that you may be doing exercises that are adding to your muscle imbalance and not doing the exercises that correct your muscle imbalance.
